Guilt Trip
by StangeInterests32
Summary: In the aftermath of the Avenger's Civil War, Tony decides to check up on the Bartons. Despite his noble intentions, he's soon made to realize that the fallout didn't stay with the just the team, and he's forced to face his own actions because of it. One Shot.


Tony stood at the door of Clint's home on the Barton Family Farm, nervous as a sinner in confession. He smiled at that thought, realizing that it wasn't too far from true. After a few more tense seconds, his mind began wandering as to why no one was coming to the door. Finally, the impatience he was known for shining through, he decided to just bite the bullet and knock.

There was no answer. He contemplated knocking again, and then thought against it. Might seem too needy, he thought to himself. He waited a little bit longer, and then came to the conclusion that no one was going to answer the door. He turned to leave, making it as far as halfway down the porch steps when he heard the door open behind him.

"Mr. Stark?"

He turned and saw Laura standing at the door. She looked more or less casual he thought, definitely not showing any added stress if there was any from the current situation. He also noted that she hadn't unlocked that screen door.

" _Mr. Stark_?" Tony asked in mild surprise. "Mrs. Legolas, I know I said you could call me Tony."

Laura held up her finger to silence Tony, which she had to add a verbal shushing to when he tried to continue any way. "It's Mrs. Barton to you Mr. Stark," she told him tensely.

"I can see that you're upset, Laura, and it's completely –"

" _Mrs. Barton_ ," she corrected him slowly.

Tony cleared his throat and smiled nervously. He moved toward the door, only to find Laura now came outside and stood with her back pressed against it. "And why would I be upset, Mr. Stark?" she asked him through a forced grin. "Would it have anything to do with the fact that because of you my husband was probably stuck in some prison that doesn't officially exist? Or that he's there because someone he called a friend put him there?"

Tony swallowed hard, and stood silent for a few seconds. He expected anger, but not bluntness. Maybe it was because it was Clint's wife, he expected something of a Clint-like response; snarky comebacks, or a wiseass, sarcastic joke. Then again, to put up with Clint Barton, and the life he led, Laura was probably much tougher than she looked.

"Laura, Clint made his deci –"

"Mrs. Barton," she told him again, this time she wasn't hiding her frustration. "You don't get to call me Laura anymore. Or Mrs. Legolas. Or anything else."

"Mrs. Barton," Tony said through strained effort. "Clint made his decision. _He_ decided to come off the sidelines, and join the wrong side."

"And who decides who's on the wrong side? Some politicians in suits who've probably never had to look at a situation as anything other than black and white? You? Someone who up until a few years ago, the hardest decision you had to make was blonde, brunette, or redhead?"

"I think that's an over simplifi –"

"Or did you just force Pepper to get you one of each?"

"The sides were clear," Tony shouted. "Sign the accords, and he would've been fine. He'd have been left alone and he'd still be toiling fields or whatever he did here."

Laura wasn't a violent person. She was capable of anger, especially when someone talked about her husband and children, but she wasn't known for lashing out. But right now, she was giving serious consideration to knocking a few teeth out of his mouth.

"You know I read the papers you sent over before all this. Clint made me. If he'd signed, he'd have been left alone, but he'd also have had to disclose this place. Which is something he never wanted to do. You know why? Because he knew that there was always the remote chance that those files could be hacked or stolen, and then one of the people he put away would know where he lived."

"If he was retired, he'd be here to fend them off."

"He was never afraid of someone coming here when he was. He was terrified of someone showing up when he wasn't," she raised her voice at him. "Maybe if you were capable of hanging on to someone, you might know what that feels like."

"Then when he told Natasha that he was retired, he should've stayed that way instead of deciding to wade back in and play Dad to the rescue for someone who wasn't in any danger."

Tony felt the sting of Laura's hand across his cheek and the recoil in his neck as his head twisted from the slap. My God that woman hits hard, he thought as he rubbed his cheek for a second. She could give Banner a run for his money, he thought jokingly.

"My husband doesn't _play_ Dad to the rescue. It's a parent's job to take care of their children. That's why he went there. That's why _I_ sent him there when Steve called."

"Wanda isn't his, or yours."

"Yes she was. _You_ made her ours. You, and Steve, and Nat, all of you did when you decided to have her stay here whenever she wasn't training until she turned eighteen so she might have a taste of a normal life, of being an actual teenager. In that year, we started looking at her like she was one of our own. And I don't know if she'll admit it out loud, but she definitely started looking at Clint like a father. My only solace in this, is that wherever he is, whatever hole you had him shoved into, Wanda's probably there, and he's still looking out for her. After all, that's what family does, Mr. Stark. But you don't have any clue about that do you?"

Tony was speechless, a rarity for him. He assumed that Laura was filled in on what Clint was doing when he broke into Avenger's HQ, but never did he suspect that she'd sent him. She took him off the sidelines, and not for politics, or ideology. She, and Clint, did it for something much simpler, and something much more noble than anything he'd done recently.

"I…I just wanted to see if you all needed anything?"

"Me and kids are fine Mr. Stark. We'd be a little better if Clint and Wanda were here though. Cooper and Lila keep asking for them. And yes, they look at her like a sister if you were wondering."

"Lau –"

"Mrs. Barton. Only my friends can call me Laura. And at the risk of repeating myself, we're fine, Mr. Stark. So you can climb back into your fancy sports car and drive off. No need to leave anything so you can you make yourself feel better and assuage your guilt. Because we both know that's why you're here. You feel bad that you started a war and ripped a family apart, mine and yours. If you want solace, find it somewhere else because I won't forgive you just so you can go on being the happy carefree billionaire that can ignore the pain. Now goodbye, Mr. Stark."

Laura walked back into the house, locked the screen door, and then closed and locked the inner door. Tony heard the click of the lock and remained standing on the porch. He raised his hand, intending to knock on the door again, and then thought better of it. No need to throw any more gasoline on the fire, he thought.

He made his way back down to the car, got in, and left, watching the dust of the road obscure the image of the house in his rearview mirror.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.," he said.

"Yes, boss?" came the Irish accent of the personal AI in his earpiece.

"Set up an account in Laura Barton's name, and transfer two million dollars into it."

"Sir, if I may be so bold, Mrs. Barton was fairly adamant that she didn't want your help."

"We're not going to give it to her and I want you to make sure that no one, not even her knows it exists. I just want it set up just in case she ever needs."

"Of course, boss."


End file.
